Kwara State Police Command has arrested a Muslim cleric and a nurse attendant in one of the private medical hospitals in Ilorin, for allegedly selling placenta of a new born baby that was delivered in the hospital.

They were arrested yesterday.

Daily Sun investigations revealed that the placenta was sold by the nurse attendant to the cleric at the cost of N20,000 for money ritual.

The duo, according to Daily Sun checks, were arrested at different locations in Ilorin, on Monday, following the report to the police command by the medical officer in charge of the private hospital.

The incident happened at a private medical hospital, located at Oke-Erin area of Ilorin, when the father of the new born baby, Jimoh Abdulfatah, demanded the placenta.

The father had taken his wife to the hospital for ceacerian operation after unsuccessful efforts to deliver normally at both the Civil Service clinic and the General Hospital, Ilorin, where they had gone for medical attention before the man was referred to the private hospital at the General Hospital, Ilorin.

It was gathered that after the successful operation at the private hospital, the father, who had passed through a serious stress for two days forgot to ask for the placenta on the day of his wife’s delivery, but later came back the second day to demand the placenta.

But, to his dismay, when he got to the hospital to collect the placenta, the nurse he met told him she had asked the nurse attendant who was on duty on the day of the operation to bring the placenta.

After few minutes, the nurse attendant told the senior nurse that she could not see the placenta where she kept it on the day of the delivery. The senior nurse was said to have informed her boss about the development. The medical officer in-charge of the hospital informed the police at Surulere and the nurse attendant was arrested.

According to sources close to the police, the nurse attendant said she gave the placenta to one Muslim cleric in the town and the cleric was subsequently arrested .

The development, however, prompted the matter to be transferred to the state police headquarters for further investigation.

Upon further interrogation, the cleric at the police headquarters confirmed receiving the placenta from the attendant, but couldn’t produce it because, according to him, he had thrown it into the water near his house.

The Muslim cleric, whose wife is also heavily pregnant, according to Daily Sun checks was said to have told his accusers that the placenta was useless for the purpose he wanted to use it because the baby was delivered through operation, unlike if the baby had been delivered through normal delivery, in which case the placenta would have been useful.

Contacted, the state police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ajayi Okasanmi, who confirmed the arrests of the two suspects said the nurse attendant and the Muslim cleric are now helping police in its investigations.

He, however, said the duo will be arraigned in court after the completion of police investigations.